COP27 in review: 'If we don't, who will?'

to unpaid childcare responsibilities. Further research by the Young Women’s Trust concluded that nearly half of young women in the South West feel that their future prospects have gotten worse over the last six months.

Many employers don’t offer work schedules that fit the domestic demands and caring responsibilities placed on young women, making it difficult for many women to increase their working hours and raise their earnings. As a result, women often undertake precarious work such as agency roles. While these positions are flexible, they can be unreliable, underpaid, and often don’t financial- spending the little money I earn on drinks and going out when balancing my part-time job with my de en’s self-esteem and confidence. Students also added that ‘at university the pressure to meet new people and look your best is at an all-time high’. With less money to keep up with unattainable beauty standards, largely targeted at women, some young women attested to socialising less due to lessened confidence. Further studies have shown that young women are also taking health risks and prioritizing money over their safety in order to cope with living on a lower budget, including skipping meals in efforts to make their cash last till the end of the month. One second year law student told Epigram of the unsafe situations she now faces due to her worsened financial position: ‘I already feel unsafe walking alone as a woman at night,

The Sustainability Network sought firsthand insight from Egyptian UoB students about the significance of the climate change focused conference being hosted in Egypt. Bristol SU Sustainability Network storm related flooding is of major concern, with many locations having limited financial and infrastructural adaptation capacity, posing a serious risk to human lives. Concerns regarding climate change refugees and regional migration motivated by climatic and economic variables were also highlighted in these discussions. gree is already tough’.

Climate change is one of the most important issues the world is currently facing – its wide ranging consequences are already being felt at both a global and local level, making it a current and time sensitive issue. It is also a complex, intersectional matter, coinciding with issues of race, class, and gender inequality. Yet it is often viewed as a future concern.

With the hosting of COP27 in Egypt this year, the Sustainability Network sought first-hand insight from Egyptian UoB students about the implications of the climate change focused conference being hosted in their country.

Despite the extreme risks faced by many communities, many of the students believe that climate change has not been a focus for the Egyptian government in recent years. They explained that this could be a result of conflicting priorities, such as unemployment and poverty, as well as limited financial capacity or political will.

The students also expressed concern that political instability and corruption were hampering climate change action, a concern of many LEDCs. These worries are especially pertinent given the association between climate change and social disparities, with the most vulnerable likely to feel the impacts of climate change first.

Currently, the government’s financial response to the cost-of-living crisis includes a 9.7 per cent increase in the national living wage for over 23s to £10.42. However, this rate does not apply to those under the age of 23. The government is also yet to offer financial support for childcare costs, providing little aid to young women who are struggling to afford vital services such as nurseries.

Female students at the University of Bristol have also voiced that ‘sanitary products, cosmetics and many and knowing I can’t really afford to call a taxi if I needed to is really scary’. Young women are also finding themselves increasingly dependent on others for financial support, making them more vulnerable to financial abuse in situations of domestic violence and lengthening the duration of unhealthy and abusive relationships. Research conducted by Women’s Aid with survivors of domestic abuse discovered that almost three quarters of women in abusive relationships had found that the costof-living crisis had either prevented them from leaving or made it harder for them to leave their partner. toiletry products typically tailored to women have increased in price and therefore have become an added expense that women need to budget for’. While a lack of access to cosmetic products may be seen as trivial, no longer being able to afford the commodities that make you feel good can have a significant impact on wom-

The Young Women’s Trust is campaigning to get young women’s voices heard. Having asked young women what support the government should introduce, the organisation is calling for guaranteed affordable childcare that enables young women to work the hours they need, and an extension of the national living wage to those under the age of 23. By targeting the government and employers, young women stand a chance of lowering discrimination in the workplace and battling the impact of the cost of living crisis.

Speaking to the Sustainability Network, all students shared that they or their families have been directly affected by the impacts of climate change in Egypt, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent, severe and widespread. Unlike other countries in the region, which have the financial capacity for adaptation measures such as the widespread development of ubiquitous air conditioning, Egypt has less financial and infrastructural resilience to combat increasing temperatures. Water supply has also become a major concern due to changing rainfall patterns in what is already an arid country. This issue was linked to regional geopolitical issues, such as the contentious building of dams in nearby countries that alter water availability patterns.

'All students shared that they or their families have been directly affected by climate change in Egypt'

Some suggested that there are often financial incentives behind government investment decisions, with money often being invested into projects that would see immediate returns. However, others noted that progress has been made over recent years, including investment into sustainable energy sources and biodiversity protection programs.

The students were proud that the hosting of COP27 in Egypt was bringing the MENA region to the global stage, in what are typically Eurocentric discussions. However, there were concerns about the efficacy of previous COP conferences. Many highlighted that the event tends to lead to little meaningful impact, with previous conference goals not on track to be met.

The climate change risk to agriculture as a livelihood, as well as for food availability, was also highlighted by the students. Negative impacts to agriculture could affect food exports such as citrus and grains, thereby impacting global food supply chains. Should Egypt’s agriculture be detrimentally impacted, the increased dependency on imported food would also impact local food security as prices would increase.

The threat of rising sea levels and

Some feared that the conference risked becoming only a political blame-game with few meaningful outcomes for businesses, the key polluters of the environment. Others expressed worries surrounding the influence that COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other socioeconomic current events may have on successful climate change action.

Generally, the students interviewed encouraged action and implementation over policies and legislation, with one student encouraging the community to hold governments accountable, pointing out, ‘If we don’t, who will?’